Ysgol Gynradd Blaenau

Highlights from Latest Inspection

The school provides robust care, support and guidance for its pupils, which includes a team of staff who know them very well. This creates a productive learning environment which, in turn, fosters positive attitudes to learning in most pupils.

Through this and the valuable teaching and learning experiences provided by teachers, many pupils make sound progress from their starting points. Teachers plan a curriculum and activities that engage and hold pupils' interest well. This contributes well towards improving their skills in general, for example their literacy and digital skills.

Through leaders' thorough knowledge of the school's areas for improvement, they are aware of the need to strengthen pupils' oral skills and the ...opportunities available to them to apply their numeracy skills. Overall, pupils develop their independent learning skills suitably. Although there are plans in place to improve these areas for improvement, they have not yet had a full effect.

Since she began in the role recently, the acting headteacher's work has provided stability to the school's leadership following challenging periods over a number of years. She is supported well by hard-working governors and staff who have sound knowledge of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. Since she took up the role around a year ago, the acting headteacher has set aims, strategic objectives and appropriate policies that focus on meeting the needs of all pupils.

As a result, pupils' progress, standards and well-being, along with the quality of teaching, have begun to improve gradually over that period. Despite the strengths in leadership, there is a significant deficit in the school's financial budget over a number of years. Governors have not addressed this deficit effectively enough.

Recommendations R1 Agree and implement a recovery plan to respond purposefully to the deficit in the school's financial budget R2 Expand opportunities for pupils to apply their numeracy skills across the curriculum R3 Strengthen pupils' oracy skills R4 Improve provision to support pupils to develop their independent learning skills